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On this page I'll describe my star's life and career: the successes and failures, the great achievements.
Oct 15, 1931 Born at Dhanushkodi in Rameswaram district,Tamil Nadu.
His father had to rent boats to pay his school fees. He studied at the Schwartz High School in Ramanathapuram.
1954-58 After graduating in science from St. Joseph's College in Tiruchi, he enrolled for Aeronautical Engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology in 1954.
1958 Kalam joined the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and served as a senior scientific assistant, heading a small team that developed a prototype hovercraft. But the project, never took off.
1962 Following the lukewarm response to his hovercraft program, Kalam moved out of DRDO and joined Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
1963-82 Kalam joined the satellite launch vehicle team at Thumba, near Trivandram and soon became Project Director for SLV-3.
1980 Rohini put into orbit in the month of July
1981 Kalam honoured with the Padma Bhushan
1982 Kalam returns to DRDO as its Director. Takes charge of India's integrated guided missile development program.
The program envisaged the launch of five major missiles.
1992 Kalam takes over as the Scientific Advisor to Union Defence Minister.
1997 Kalam honoured with "Bharat Ratna", india's highest civilian award.
May 11, 1998 Adorning a Gorkha hat in the Rajasthan deserts, he orchestrated India's underground nuclear tests
The scientist from a small hamlet in Tamil Nadu who had dreamt of India as a nuclear power many years ago had finally achieved it!
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